The fact that water can be decomposed into its hydrogen and oxygen elements by electrolysis has been known for many decades. Heretofore, however, commercial process has been so costly as to be impractical for the production of these gasses for widespread commercial use. At the same time, because of the dwrindling supply and the increasing cost of convential sources of energy, such as fossil fuels and natural gas, alternative sources of energy for fueling automotive vehicles, for example, are currently being actively sought. The use of liquified hydrogen gas as such an alternative fuel has a distinct advantage in that it is substantially non-polluting. Up until now, however, the cost of commercially producing hydrogen gas by electrolysis has been prohibitive.
It is, accordingly, the principal object of this invention to provide an improved method and means for the electrolysis of water which so enhances the electrolytic process as to enable production of hydrogen gas so economically as to be practicable on a heretofore unknown commercial scale.
A more particular object of my invention is to provide an electroysis method of the above nature wherein the electrolytic fluid container is disposed within a resonant cavity or chamber fed by microwave energy, whereby such intense agitation of the electrolyte molecules is effected as tremendously increases electron vibration between the electrical poles, as a consequence of which hydrogen gas, as well as oxygen, will be given off at high rates and in such large quantitities as heretofore not achievable.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following discription.